Latest news with #Highway395
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Inn Fire forces evacuations in Mono City, closes Highway 395
MONO CITY – The Inn Fire in Mono County forced mandatory evacuations in Mono City and shut down Highway 395 ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The fire broke out on Thursday around 3:30 p.m. and has burned 538 acres while jumping Highway 395 near Mono Lake. Crews said erratic winds caused the fire to spread quickly. No containment has been reported. The evacuation order, which is still in effect as of Friday afternoon, included an area stretching from Tioga Lodge to Mono Inn, north of Lee Vining. An evacuation center was established at Bridgeport Memorial Hall on North School Street. Highway 395 is closed from Lee Vining to Highway 167. It's unknown when it will reopen, as many people are expected to hit the road for the Memorial Day weekend. Drivers can take Highway 167 if heading south, whereas northbound travelers can take Highway 6 in Bishop to avoid the closure. Mono City is about 200 miles southeast of Sacramento on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It's home to about 300 people. Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in North America and is more than two times as salty as the ocean.
Wall Street Journal
23-05-2025
- Wall Street Journal
The Other Great California Road Trip
For decades, road trippers in search of California postcard views have flocked to Highway 1 for panoramas of craggy coastline and shady redwood forests. But ask a local like me which stretch of blacktop really shows off the Golden State's frontier spirit and scenic diversity, and you're liable to hear a different number: 395. A world apart from the clogged coastline, Highway 395 winds from the lapis water of Lake Tahoe to the sky-high summit of Mount Whitney. This is the road that in-the-know mountain ramblers take to avoid the high-season throngs of Sequoia and Big Sur. A route where ski bums, ranchers and Patagonia-clad vacationers all coexist in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada. 'It's really a journey full of superlatives,' says Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California. 'You pass the highest point in the contiguous United States, and a short detour takes you to the oldest trees in the world.' And this summer, choosing it just makes practical sense. With mudslides and extreme weather events causing frequent closures along Highway 1, Highway 395 offers an uncrowded alternative route—that is, if you're cool with trading sandy beaches and Pacific surf for alpine lakes and dramatic hikes. Covering roughly 475 miles, this itinerary more than delivers on the California dream.
